Working with Solaris 10 Zones (Sun Java System Message Queue 3.7 UR1 Release Notes)

Sun Java System Message Queue 3.7 UR1 Release Notes

Working with Solaris 10 Zones

A zone is a Solaris Container technology that provides separate environments on a machine and logically isolates applications from one another. Zones allow you to create virtual operating system environments within an instance of the Solaris operating system. Running applications in different zones allows you to run different instances or different versions of the same application on the same machine while, at the same time, permitting centralized administration and efficient sharing of resources.

This section provides a brief description of zones and describes their use with Message Queue 3.7 UR1.

Zones Basics

A zone environment includes a global zone and one or more non-global zones. When Solaris 10 is first installed on a system there is only one global zone. An administrator can create other non-global zones as children of the global zone. Each zone appears as an independent system running Solaris. Each zone has its own IP address, own system configuration, own instances of running applications, and its own area on the file system.

The global zone contains resources that can be shared among non global zones; this allows the centralization of certain administrative functions. For example, packages installed in the global zone are available (propagated) to all existing non-global zones. This enables you to centralize life-cycle management like installation, upgrade, and uninstallation. At the same time, the isolation provided by non-global zones results in greater security and allows you to have differently configured instances or different versions of the same application running on the same machine.

Non-global zones are either whole root zones or sparse root zones: which of these you choose as an environment for an application depends on how you want to balance administrative control with resource optimization.

Whole root zones contain a read/write copy of the file system on the global zone. Packages installed in the global zone are automatically copied (with their registry information) to the whole root zones. This maximizes administrative control, at the expense of resources.
Sparse root zones contain a read/write copy of a portion of the file system on the global zone; other file systems are mounted as read-only file systems. Packages installed in the global zone are available to sparse root zones by means of read-only file systems and through the automatic synchronization of registry information. Sparse root zones optimize resource sharing at the cost of centralized administration.

Java Enterprise System Zones Limitations

The components that make up the Java Enterprise System depend on some shared components; this creates some limitations in working with zones. In a zones environment, shared components are governed by the following rules.

All shared components within a zone must be of the same JES version. This requirement has three consequences.
- If you want to install different versions of shared components, each version must reside in a separate zone.
- Within a zone, if a shared component is upgraded or a later version is installed then all shared components must be upgraded.
- When you install shared components in the global zone, you must take care that shared components in non global zones are upgraded if necessary.
Shared components cannot be installed in sparse root zones because of the read/only file system in sparse root zones. Instead, they must be installed in the global zone. Those product components that depend on shared components must first be installed in the global zone and then propagated into non-global zones.

These requirements affect the installation of Message Queue because it is a component product of Java Enterprise System and, as such, is limited in its use of zones.

Note –

The Message Queue product is installed into the /usr directory and must therefore be installed or upgraded in the global zone first.

Message Queue Cases

When Message Queue is installed in the global zone, it is set to propagate into all of the non-global zones. After installing Message Queue in the global zone, you will have the same version of Message Queue installed in all zones: if you log into any zone and run the command pkginfo -l SUNWiqu, you will see it installed, and it will be the same version as in the global zone. You can then run independent instances of the Message Queue broker in each zone since they do not share the instance and configuration data kept in the /var and /etc directories. (Most other Java Enterprise System components are not propagated if they are installed in the global zone.)

Because Message Queue is propagated into non-global zones, the global instance is forever linked to the installations in the non-global zones. Therefore, any time you uninstall or upgrade Message Queue in the global zone it will impact instances running in the non-global zones. The following example shows how this might cause unintended results.

You install Message Queue 3.7 UR1 in the global zone. This results in the Message Queue 3.7 UR1 packages also being installed into all non-global zones.
You uninstall Message Queue 3.7 UR1 in a whole root zone. Then, you install Message Queue 3.6 in the whole root zone.

You now have different versions of Message Queue running in different zones, which is a set up you might find useful.
You uninstall Message Queue 3.7 UR1 in the global zone. This will uninstall Message Queue from all other zones - including the Message Queue 3.6 instance in the whole root zone.

Always be aware of the cascading effect of installing or uninstalling Message Queue in the global zone.

The following two use-cases explain how you install different instances and different versions of Message Queue in different zones.

Note –

If you want to install Message Queue in a whole root zone on Solaris 10, Solaris 10U1, or Solaris 10U2, you must upgrade Lockhart in the global zone first. See the workaround for bug 645030 for additional information.

To Install the Same Version of Message Queue in Different Zones

Install the desired version of Message Queue in the global zone.

These versions will be propagated into any existing non-global zone. If you create additional non-global zones, Message Queue will also be propagated into these zones. (You can install different instances in whole root zones as well as sparse root zones, but using sparse root zones allows you to make more efficient use of disk space and other resources).

If you want Message Queue to be propagated into any other non-global zones, create these zones now.

Run an instance of Message Queue in each non-global zone.

To Install Different Versions of Message Queue in Different Zones

Uninstall Message Queue from the global zone.

Create whole root zones and configure each zone not to share the /usr directory by using the following directive when you create the zone
```
remove inherit-pkg-dir dir=/usr
```

Install different versions of Message Queue in each whole root zone.

Note –
Remember that installing or uninstalling Message Queue in the global zone will affect all instances (and versions) of Message Queue running in whole root zones.